CURRENT MISSION

To get round the world making friends on the way.

ABOUT ME

Hello,

My name is Darren although most of my friends call me Smudge (an old fashioned English name for people called Smith). I'm currently travelling around the world after quitting my exceedingly dull job and looking for fun and new experiences making friends along the way.

I enjoy music, food and good beer. If these things can be combined I'm pretty much a happy person. Music festivals do this nicely and much of my recent travel has involved going to Exit (Serbia), Open'er (Poland), Sziget (Hungary) as well as Glastonbury, Reading and Donington in my native UK. Hoping to catch a few bands on this trip.

If I'm staying with you I'm quite happy to cook in whatever style you like. I rarely cook the same thing twice (except bread) so what we end up with is as experimental for me as it is for you. I also like to keep fit taking part in runs and triathlons but thanks to my other hobbies you wouldn't necessarily know it at first glance. :) I love being outdoors either going for a run in a city or hiking in the hills. I have a tent for this trip and will be using it.

I have travelled fairly widely in Europe over the years and am using this trip to get to all the far-flung places I've missed up until now. I don't look on couch-surfing as a free place to stay but as a chance to meet the locals and discover the real culture of a place. Especially of an evening when all the fun stuff kicks in.

I enjoy being around people who have seen a bit of the world and have stories to tell but equally I'm quite happy to talk bollocks in a pub or round a fire.

Hope to meet you soon

Darren.

PHILOSOPHY

Nobody goes to their box wishing they'd spent more time in the office.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm hoping that couchsurfung on my trip will give me the sort of positive experiences to become an active host when I return home.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've now surfed a few couches on my round the world trip. Everyone has been a brilliant experience. Getting to know the locals in the places you visit and partly experience their lives is much more rewarding than stying in hostels and hotels. Love it.

Interests

Traveling obviously. Why would anyone join CS otherwise? :) I enjoy finding out about the history of the places I'm travelling through as it gives me a deeper understanding of the area and its people.

I have a never-ending interest in music and am always looking for something that I've never heard or seen before.
I also enjoy cooking and am quite happy to knock up a meal for you if I'm staying with you. A few years ago I became a bit of a late convert to the joys of running and triathlon although I'm not as fit as I was at this time last year and it doesn't get in the way of a good night out. :)

I also enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and camping and am really looking forward to going to New Zealand to see its scenery.

• culture
• music festivals
• glastonbury
• festivals
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• triathlon
• marathon
• running
• partying
• pub crawls
• reading
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• boxing
• swimming
• history
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: The Big Lebowski, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Snatch, Usual Suspects, Trainspotting, 13 Tzameti, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, Final Cut (British film).

Books: Lord of the Rings, Mars trilogy, anything by Stephen Baxter, lots of history and popular science, Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan, Open University course work which I need to finish by October despite being on the road. :)

Music: Pretty much anything really as long as its good. That can run from jazz to death metal, afrobeat to indie, electronica to classical, reggae to rockabilly. My only dislikes are mass-produced pop/R+B and modern rap.

For the full story here's my last.fm page

http://www.last.fm/user/Smuj99

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

If I was going to name one thing it would be completing an Ironman triathlon last year. 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile cycle followed by a full 26 mile marathon at the end all non-stop! If you'd have known what a lardy slob I was a few years ago you'd never have believed it possible.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know the flag of every country in the world and I have double-jointed fingers. These aren't the most interesting things about me but they're good at parties. :)

People tell me I'm a pretty good cook as well. Do a nice loaf of bread. Can show you how.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Russian Federation, United Kingdom